Yugi's eight
by Ocena Strex
Summary: Three young men shared an unbreakable bond, leading them to actions they never thought they would take. One met a tragic fate, another broke down with guilt, and the third was left to pick up the pieces. Find out what happened in this story that had to be told by the silent, but equally guilty observer.


**A/N: **I wrote this one-shot after being inspired by a dream. It had such a heavy impact on me that I woke up crying, and the urge to write it down became too much to bear and this is the result. For some reason it also reminded me of Ocean's Eleven, though I haven't seen this movie for quite a while. It did provide me with a title though :).

I'm not going to say much about this fic. I'll let my narrator do that for me.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Ocean's Eleven.

Enjoy! And please leave a review.

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**Yugi's eight**

It is a sad story that I am about to tell you. A story about one man meeting a tragic fate for the sake of love, leaving another one broken with guilt, and a third one to pick up the pieces. But I'm getting ahead of myself before I have even begun. The weight of this story makes it difficult for me to tell it properly, and I shall apologize for it now, and hope I will be forgiven.

But I need to tell this story you see, the whole story, even though my mind keeps on skipping to its tragic end and my own tears threaten to resurface. I am faced with the aftermath on a daily basis as much as these men are. As a matter in fact I was deeply involved with the event that led to this tragic outcome, and now I often wish I hadn't been so greedy as to involve myself in this. I might have even been able to prevent it. You could say my own need to write this down comes as much from my own guilt and the need to confess as from the fact that these young men _may not_ be forgotten. But I digress. My name is Seto Kaiba and please allow me to tell you this story. I shall start at the very beginning.

This story is about three young men who share a peculiar friendship. They have been friends, no, best friends ever since they were little and are practically inseparable. Many, myself included, claim that the bond between these three young men even went beyond that one shared between regular friends. They are soul mates. But I think I should properly introduce these three young men before I continue.

The first of these three young men is Yugi Muto. Of the three he was officially the youngest, although all three of them were born in the same year. His small stature, big amethyst eyes, soft tri-coloured hair and cheerful demeanour also made him seem much younger than he was. However, whenever something serious was going on Yugi was also a big pillar of support and a shoulder to cry on. It is in a sense quite surprising that Yugi retained his cheerful ways, since he has faced quite some hardships in life. His parents died when he was only five years old, and he has lived with his grandfather ever since. The kind man took care of his grandson as well as he could in his old age, even reopening the game shop he used to own but had retired from, to be able to support them both. It was a hard life however. Yugi often had to help his grandfather out and there had been some periods in which business was slow and they had trouble making ends meet. During those times their only comfort was each other, and for Yugi also his two best friends.

The second one of the three young men is Yami Sennen, officially the second youngest, or oldest depending on how you look at it. He is about a head taller than Yugi and has slightly darker eyes than Yugi. He also sports tri-coloured hair, but keeps it much more rugged than Yugi. He was definitely being labelled as handsome and attracted the attention of quite a few peers in his youth. He was a relatively quiet boy though and never had eyes for anyone else other than his two friends. He is actually the first one who came to realize that he saw them as more than just friends. He comes from a very traditional family though. His parents are caring, but also very strict in certain things, most notably in practicing their religion. They pray several times a day and are zealous church attendees. As a good son Yami abides by their teachings, even if it at times conflicts with his feelings. Loving a person of the same gender is taboo. Loving two people of the same gender is beyond taboo. This is the main reason why Yami was so quiet, but his two best friends love him just the way he is.

Finally the third one of the three young men is Atem Kaiba, the eldest of the three and my cousin. He is about an inch taller than Yami and looks quite fearsome with his crimson eyes and his tri-coloured hair kept in an even wilder fashion than Yami. He had a bit of a bad boy attitude when he was young, but basically has a heart of gold. Atem hails from a wealthy family, with his father and his uncle, my father, owning a very successful company, one Atem was destined to take over with me once we were old enough and ready. Unlike Yami though, Atem didn't blindly abide by our family's wishes, causing him to be a bit rebellious. It often made me doubt how I was ever going to run a company together with him. Naturally his parents were often dissatisfied with him about this, which led to regular arguments and falling-outs between parents and son. Atem knows his parents love him though, and just wanted what was best for him, so their fights never got really serious. I know my aunt and uncle would never lay a hand on him and they indeed didn't. They just often put me up as an example for him, since I had long since accepted my destiny and was in many way the perfect heir. We also didn't get along very well, but that's beside the point. His friendly side was often only seen by his friends. Mainly towards Yugi, like when he when he offered the smallest of their group his lunch when he came to school without one, or when he offered him and his grandfather financial support during their hard times. Something which Yugi stubbornly refused to accept. But in essence Atem is fairly selfless towards his wealth, which makes him greatly endearing, and he did earn my respect over that.

I realize that I have been using the past tense in some cases where you might expect the present tense. There is a reason for this however. Right now I'm giving you a short overview on how their lives were during most of their school years. It has been many years since that period and they have changed a lot since then. But I digress again in a selfish need to explain myself. If only this story wasn't so hard to tell… But I shall continue.

Now you might find it odd that all three of them have tri-coloured hair. In truth they all have spikey black hair with a magenta sheen along the edges and blonde bangs framing their faces. Yami and Atem both gel some of their bangs up, while Yugi rather kept them down. He liked it better that way, and hair gel wasn't a commodity he could afford anyway. Their similar hair styles however, make them seem like brothers rather than friends to strangers. In truth only Yugi's hair was natural. Yami and Atem have dyed their hair and style it to make it look similar to their friend's. When they were young it was just a silly way for the two oldest boys to match their smaller friend's cool hairstyle. Later on though it began to symbolize the bond they shared. The bond ran so deep that they felt like they were one, and they had a need to match their interior feelings with their exterior appearance. Right now it means something much more. It has become a tribute to their unprivileged friend. I cannot reveal why yet, since it would mean skipping to the end again, but most of the story hasn't even been told yet, so I can't.

As has become pretty obvious by the previous descriptions, the three friends love each other so much that they could potentially have become lovers. For a long time they weren't though. Though Yami was the first, soon the other two also began to realize their feelings for one another. They also knew they couldn't act on it. They were painfully aware that they could never be together like their hearts and souls desired. Yami's religion was the least of their problems. Society in general, which is only starting to accept same sex couples, could never accept a steady threesome, especially if it consists out of three guys. The label of being polygamists was too much to bear for all three friends, and the option in which two of them would get together leaving the third one out was equally heart wrenching. So, although they were aware of their own and the other two's feelings, they initially decided not to act upon it.

Initially is the key word here. Perhaps you can imagine this was a very difficult choice to make for the three of them and even more difficult to abide by it. It was a miracle that their friendship held firm through that, but it was an even greater miracle it held firm after a certain incident that tipped the tables to one side.

It happened at a party. This party was organized by one of our classmates when we graduated high school.

I suddenly realize by that last sentence that I forgot to mention something very important. I know these kind of things because I was there. I am of the same age as the three friends and went to to same school as them. Some of the information that I give you is by what my cousin later told me or by what I can logically deduce, but most of it is by what I have personally experienced. I think that explains enough for me to continue now.

Yugi and Yami were at that party, but Atem couldn't come because he was grounded after getting into an argument with his parents over his college education. Despite any reservations they had against this kind of parties both Yugi and Yami decided to indulge themselves just this once. Alcohol was in abundance, and it had no problem reaching the two young men's minds. Years of locked away desires broke free under its influence. First it was just a kiss, but this small gesture of affection soon led to much more. To say I was surprised to see them making out on the couch is an understatement. I knew they shared a very special bond, but I didn't know it ran that deep, especially considering Yami's upbringing, until that evening. In any case, they somehow had managed to reach our classmate's spare bedroom, and the next morning they both woke up with the mother of all hangovers, and the evidence of last night's activities caked on the sheets and their stomachs.

I felt like what had happened wasn't any of my concern. I might have been surprised and perhaps even a little bit disgusted by what I had witnessed, what Yugi and Yami did wasn't any of my business. If my relationship to my cousin had been better at the time I might have cared enough to involve myself, but I felt no inclination to do so. Ah, but listen to me rambling about my own thought and feelings while this story should be about them.

Even without my intervention Yugi and Yami just couldn't keep what had happened a secret to Atem, even if they could hardly remember any of it. To say that Atem was devastated was an understatement, and for a moment it seemed as if their bond would be broken beyond repair. But it didn't. Because he loves them both as much as they love him and each other, Atem could understand that they had snapped in a drunken stupor. After a long and difficult conversation they all realized that this couldn't go on like it had. Their needs and desires were too great and would only cause them unhappiness if they didn't pursue them. Since the thought of being shunned by society if they all got together was much harder to bear than allowing the other two to get together, Atem decided to step down for Yugi and Yami's sakes.

Naturally Yugi and Yami protested profusely, both offering the others solid arguments as to why he himself should be the one to step down. Yugi claimed he was too poor to be able to offer either one of them a good life. Yami claimed that his parents and his religion were too important to him to be able to pursue this. Atem countered them all though, telling Yugi that this wasn't about money and that he deserved someone who would take care of him so he could start a new life, and telling Yami that if his parents and religion were truly so important to him then he would have either broken up their friendship a long time ago or kept himself away from any situation that could potentially result in anything intimate with either one or both of his friends. Besides, now that they were graduated it was high time for Atem to start being sensible and move on from his rebellious ways and follow in his father footsteps. He knew that with his upcoming education and subsequent job at our fathers' company would keep him too busy to be able to give any lover what they needed. And even after he had settled down a bit his parents would expect him to produce an heir, which would be impossible unless he found a woman.

In the end Atem 'won' the discussion. Ironically, perhaps years of arguing with his father had been good for something, but it's not my place to speculate about that. In any case, it brought Atem much pain to see his two friends, no, his own _soul mates_ settle down together, but it really was for the best. Over the years little seemed to change between the three friends to the outside world in terms of their relationship. They still remained friends even with Yugi and Yami becoming a couple and Atem leaving for a few years to start his education. Things did change for the three of them though.

Our parents sent Atem and I to the same college our fathers had attended to attend our studies in business. It was too far away from home for him to stay around though, and we stayed in a small rented apartment together. Truthfully Atem was glad he was staying there. It made it easier for him to cope with his 'loss', even though he still loved the days he saw his friends again. He tried to move on and search out other love interests, but asides from the occasional one night stand during some kind of party, he found that he could love no one else but his two soul mates.

Yami also went to college, but he stayed in our home town and was able to stay by Yugi's side. I don't remember what he studied, but I guess it's not really important either. He kept the truth about his and Yugi's relationship a secret from his parents, knowing full well that they would never accept it, and life basically just continued as it had for him. He was being kept busy with his educational obligations, but he was bright enough to cope without too much stress. College life and having Yugi has been good for one thing though, it has made Yami more daring. He is still the calm, praying and churchgoing individual, but he isn't following the amendments as blindly as he had as a child. He learned to think for himself and stretches the rules in such a way that it fits his needs without renouncing the basic principles of his religion.

Yugi's life changed dramatically though. Neither he nor his grandfather had the money to send him to college, so Yugi was forced to find a job to make some extra money with besides what they made with the game shop. Having only a high school education meant he couldn't do much, but he found a job at a local convenient store. With Yami and Atem both in college, and Atem even being out of town, he couldn't spend much time with his friends. To top it all off his grandfather's health was failing him, and Yugi was forced to divide his time between his own job, attending the game shop, taking care of his grandfather, and spending time with Yami. It was a real miracle he didn't succumb to the pressure. There were only two reasons he didn't however: Yami, who helped him whenever and however he could, and Atem, who, despite being outside of his direct reach and therefore unable to do much, also remained loyal to his friend in need.

This period was the turning point in these young men's lives. It is difficult to point out the specific event, since everything that happened within that period was significant, and I wasn't around to personally witness it. I know that Yugi's decline wasn't sudden, but gradual. Despite having two soul mates who supported him through thick and thin and being intimately involved with one of them, it didn't take away the fact that his life was hard. If anything Yami and Atem only took the sharp edges off of it. If I do have to point out one particular event it would be the death of Yugi's grandfather. It happened a few days before Atem and I would graduate from college, and it was probably the drop that spilled the bucket. Or rather, it was then that Yugi's depression became evident. I'm personally convinced that Yugi had been depressed before that, but had managed to drag himself through life until that faithful day. His cheerful smile evaporated like snow before the sun, and his own pillar crumbled to dust, unable to support himself let alone someone else. One thing was for sure, after that day Yugi was unable to take care of himself anymore.

People sometimes say that I'm a heartless bastard. Indeed I am a man of rational thoughts opposed to emotional impulses. But seeing Yugi broken like that made even my own heart wrench in my chest. It is a fate you don't wish upon even your greatest enemy, and it signified my own change. I know this is their story, but please allow me this small moment to delve into my own thoughts and feelings. I always thought of my cousin as a fool with the way he acted when he was young. I was puzzled at the way he was able to form such a solid friendship with two people who were so much different than he was. Like I said before, I was the perfect heir to my father and uncle's company; the hardworking straight A student, appearance always preened to perfection, who thought before he acted, but most of all who was able to emotionally detach himself from the situation in order to rule with an iron fist. The only one I ever showed emotion to was my little brother Mokuba, whom I was thankfully able to keep out of this mess. When Yugi broke down however, and I witnessed how it affected those around him, I began to see the importance of friendship. It was thanks to Yami and Atem that Yugi kept at least some pieces of himself intact. Without them I am convinced that Yugi would have taken an attempt at his own life. The reason I have such a strong opinion about this is because I witnessed his state of being nearly every day, and I saw how much his soul mates' presence eased his soul.

As much as the three friends wanted time to stop turning, life went on. Atem took his position as his father's assistant as I stood by my own father's side. I believe Yami still had a year to go before earning his degree in whatever he was studying. The point is that both were still very busy during the day, and it was only because of their families' help that they were able to take care of their broken friend. But it was a long and slow process that was painful for everyone involved.

From depression it is only a small step towards desperation, and Yugi took that step a few years later.

When he announced his idea Yami and Atem were quite shocked and wondered how he came up with it. He claimed he was over his grandfather's death, but refused to go back to the life he had. He wanted to offer Yami something more. He loved him so much he was willing to do this. How he managed to convince his friends and the others that were involved is still beyond me. As for myself I feel like I was blinded by greed. Going along with Yugi's plan would offer great opportunities for the company. And perhaps I wanted to offer my own little bit of help towards the small young man who deserved so much more than he had received in his life.

I realize that I have been glossing over what the plan entailed. It's difficult for me to talk about, since doing that would truly acknowledge that it has happened. I guess that's the reason I'm reluctant to mention it. But I know that I won't do this story justice, won't do the three soul mates any justice, if I don't come to terms with it.

Yugi suggested to rob the Industrial Illusions, a rivalling company to that of my family. Maximillion Pegasus stores his capital in his own building rather than a bank, and his wealth reaches well into millions of dollars. It would be more than enough to make sure Yugi and Yami would be able to live very comfortable lives and never have to work anymore. Yugi also had a personal grudge towards the company. Ever since it had settled in Domino City it had stolen the few customers they had from the game shop, only adding to Yugi's hardship. The grudge was irrational though, and the idea insane, but I guess there was only a shred of sanity left in Yugi's broken mind. Moreover, if it was money Yugi wanted Atem would still supply him with everything he wanted, but Yugi had his mind set.

Oh God, if only Yugi hadn't sounded so lucid when he had suggested it at first, then maybe Yami and Atem wouldn't have been swayed. Again, how he convinced his friends is a mystery, but they eventually did. They couldn't do it alone though, so they employed the help of several people they trusted. I was the first one they approached, and like I said before, my own greed for taking down a rivalling company and feeling the uncharacteristic need to help out Yugi made me agree. Besides me there were a few others, and although they may kill me for doing so I will speak their names. They were Akefia Bakura, Marik Ishtar, Joey Wheeler and Mai Valentine. Three of them were acquaintances of Atem from our time at college, and one of them was a friend of a friend. I also knew them, but never really liked most of them.

Akefia is an ex-juvenile delinquent, meaning he isn't a juvenile anymore, but he is still a delinquent. His expertise lies in sneaking in and out of locked buildings. We met him after he had broken into our apartment one night. I'm a light sleeper so woke up soon after he had gained entry and Atem and I managed to catch him. We found out the he was actually another student and he always picked fights with Atem for catching him afterwards, but they were evenly matched. Over time those fights, which started off as seriously physical, turned into rather innocent wrestling matches, with the most serious injury being a bloody nose or two. They weren't exactly what you would call friends, but there was a mutual respect between the two. In any case, there was no problem convincing him to join us.

Marik is a friend of Akefia, and in many cases his partner in crime. Marik is a rather disturbed young man whose past is shrouded in mystery. He has a rather unhealthy fascination for explosives and an eager willingness to show that he can make a bomb with stuff you can find in any person's kitchen cabinet. I feared he would be an unguided projectile in our enterprise, but he seemed to have Akefia's trust. We pretty much had no choice but to accept him in on our deal anyway, since Akefia insisted and there was no chance we could pull this off without him.

Joey is an entirely different story. How that insufferable mutt ever made it into college is a giant mystery not even the brightest of minds could possibly ever solve. He is lazy and not altogether bright, pulling through by the skin on his teeth. And he has this inexplicable crush on me. Though I never gave him any incentive he keeps on following me around like a lost puppy, trying desperately to get my attention. Atem found it very amusing though, and instead of helping me he actually encouraged the idiot. He somehow got wind of what we were planning to do and joined in claiming he wanted to prove his worth to me. Well, at least he was loyal.

Finally there is Mai. She was one of Atem's conquests during college, but like many others their relationship hadn't held firm for more than a few days. I must admit that Mai is an extraordinary attractive woman. He full, long blonde hair, long legs and voluptuous bosom made many a member of the male student body drool with lust. She isn't a blonde bimbo though. Behind those perfectly etched features lies a sharp mind with an even sharper tongue, which earned her my respect at the very least. She studied law, and even as a student there were whispers of her bright future as a lawyer. She made true those whispers by becoming a very respected and feared opponent in the court room. She was a real asset to our team due to her skills. Why she joined us in the first place was simply for the sake of accepting a challenge.

With our team together we set to planning the entire operation. Atem and I covered our preliminary expenses and through our company we were able to supply the team with whatever technological gadget necessary. Naturally Akefia was in charge of getting us in while Marik was all too happy to blow stuff up. Mai offered us legal support, and Yugi basically oversaw the entire operation. Joey and Yami, having no useful skills took on the little odd jobs lying around. It took us quite a few months to prepare ourselves, but eventually the day finally arrived.

The operation went on as planned in the beginning. Akefia and Marik worked like an oiled machine getting into the building and to the money vault with Yugi and Yami in tow. Yami and Atem had initially opposed to the idea of Yugi joining the infiltration team, but Yugi was dead set on going, since it was his idea to begin with. In the end his two friends had given up, but only if one of them went along with him. Their choice fell on Yami. Atem, Mai, Joey and I stayed behind to offer technical support and backup. Everything went smoothly and they had no problems getting into the vault. Getting in had been so easy, too easy, and indeed it was getting out that caused problems. Suddenly the infiltration team was faced with an army of policemen. We somehow missed one of the building's security measures and it had alerted the authorities of the break in and possible robbery.

Akefia you incompetent fool. Perhaps I should blame you for what is about to happen next.

Three young men admitted their defeat and were about to surrender, but Yugi's unstable state of mind refused to do so. He snapped and ran like a madman in the opposite direction, clutching a bag of money to his chest. Yami tried to stop him but it was too late. A young police officer panicked when he saw Yugi run and opened fire. The bullet hit Yugi straight into his spine and he collapsed.

What happened after that is a blur to me. I remember hearing the gunshot, hearing Yami scream Yugi's name through our intercom, hearing the three remaining men being incarcerated by the police, hearing the screaming sounds of sirens. At some point Yugi, who was still alive but unconscious, was taken away to the hospital, while the others were taken to the police station.

Yami was in shock.

Atem was in shock.

Even I was in shock.

Hell, even the rest of the team was in shock.

Mai managed to bail Yami out, and also managed to use the unprovoked shooting incident to clear Yugi of all charges, though didn't put any effort in doing the same for Akefia and Marik, and the rest of us were miraculously never under suspicion of being involved. The first thing we did was move to the hospital. For hours we waited in the hospital's waiting room, driving ourselves crazy with all kinds of worse case scenarios. Not that the doctors were providing us with any kind of information to relieve our worries. I was getting my senses somewhat back, but let me tell you, even those hours went by in a blur. I found out that when you're shocked you move by your most primitive senses. The smell of anti-sceptic still lingers in my nostrils, the sound of crying people and the constant ringing of phones still buzzes my ears, but don't ask me what the room looked like or what I was thinking. I couldn't see, I couldn't think. I could only imagine it was even worse for Yami and Atem.

And then there was finally word, but it wasn't good. I barely registered what the doctor was saying, but I understood that Yugi was still alive, but in a coma. The chances of him waking up were next to zero, and even if he would he most likely would never be the same person again. Scans also indicated that he was suffering intense pain even in his sleep. Yami and Atem had to face an unwanted decision. A decision they were both unable to make in their own state of mind. Both souls were torn apart, but Yami suffered the worst.

He wasn't a good enough boyfriend to stop his soul mate from breaking down in the first place. He hadn't stopped him from carrying out this insane plan of his. He hadn't stopped Yugi from going inside the building. He hadn't stopped him from running away.

Ridden with intense guilt he was lucky Atem kept some measure of calmness to him. He didn't want Yugi to suffer any longer. As long as he suffered, Yami and Atem suffered as well. They gave Yugi a week to beat the odds and wake up to his old self, but he didn't. With a pain that cannot be described by mere words, they pulled the plug and Yugi died.

The funeral was held several days later. It was small and intimate. Yugi didn't have any family left after all and the only friends he'd had were his two soul mates. I was there as well though, as were Joey and Mai, but we left first after the ceremony to give them some privacy.

Atem walked up to Yami from behind and gently wrapped his arms around the other's waist and pressed his cheek against the other's. Yami allowed this gesture of comfort and love from his remaining soul mate.

"Yugi would want us to move on Yami." He said softly, but there was no response other than heartbroken sobs. "I know it will be difficult, but the least we can do is make an genuine attempt. You know I love him as much as you do, and I love you as much as you love me. Please don't go down the same pits of depression he did. You wouldn't do his memory justice."

Yami then turned around in Atem's arms and tightly embraced him. He cried his heart out on the other's shoulder and Atem let his own tears fall as well. It wouldn't be the last ones. I don't remember either of us has truly stopped crying since that day.

Today it has been one year since Yugi's death and as I'm writing this my own tears have once again managed to cross the border of my eyelids. Yami and Atem remain together to this day, but they are not the same, and probably never will be. Yami is under intense therapy and medication to deal with his guilt and grief. Atem is still working as my partner at the company, but spends many hours with Yami in an attempt to somewhat heal the large gap that will now permanently reside in both their hearts.

And here I am, a silent observer of these three young men's lives. My name is Seto Kaiba, and I will gladly accept any consequences writing this story down will bring me. My own involvement driving me to my own search for redemption. I hope that writing this down will help me deal with my own guilt and grief, and I hope that this way their story will not be forgotten.

That Yugi won't be forgotten.


End file.
